Targeting the Taliban: Commandos Hone Air and Land Navigation Skills

Members of the Afghan National Army’s Special Operations Command’s (ANASOC) "Hamahangee Tacktikee Hawa (HTH),” the Afghan military’s version of tactical air coordination, sharpened their skills during a 6-week class focusing on land navigation and air coordination skills, in June and July.

An ANASOC Commando Tactical Air Coordinator (TAC) checks his compass before moving to verify plotted grids during specialized land navigation training near Kabul, Afghanistan, Jul. 16, 2018. Throughout the training, Commandos used different communications platforms to communicate with overhead aircraft during their missions, replicating battlefield scenarios. This multi-faceted communications approach enables Commandos to orchestrate kinetic close-air strikes and casualty evacuation with surgical precision.

Targeting the Taliban

An ANASOC Commando Tactical Air Coordinator (TAC) checks his compass before moving to verify plotted grids during specialized land navigation training near Kabul, Afghanistan, Jul. 16, 2018. Throughout the training, Commandos used different communications platforms to communicate with overhead aircraft during their missions, replicating battlefield scenarios. This multi-faceted communications approach enables Commandos to orchestrate kinetic close-air strikes and casualty evacuation with surgical precision.

Commandos plotted grid coordinates in a classroom setting before moving to a simulated real-world environment to put those skills into practice.

Throughout the training, Commandos used different communications platforms to communicate with overhead aircraft during their missions, replicating battlefield scenarios. This multi-faceted communications approach enables Commandos to orchestrate precise kinetic close-air strikes and efficient casualty evacuation.

"This ‘continuing education’ for Commandos is a large part of why they are so successful on the battlefield,” said one of the U.S. Special Operations Force trainers. "A multi-faceted communication approach enables Commandos to better orchestrate kinetic close-air strikes and casualty evacuation.”

Commandos are a specialized light-infantry unit capable of conducting raids, direct action and reconnaissance. Modeled after the U.S. Army Rangers, Commandos provide a strategic response capability for Afghanistan.

Established in 2015, Resolute Support (RS) is a NATO-led, non-combat mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), who assumed nationwide responsibility for Afghanistan’s security following the conclusion of the previous NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission. Its purpose is to help the Afghan security forces and institutions develop the capacity to defend Afghanistan and protect its citizens in a sustainable manner.